Way more than just a looker, though, the 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is also armed to the teeth for tonal splendor. Equipped exactly like the originals, it carries the legendary pairing of Tune-o-matic (ABR-1) bridge and stopbar tailpiece, developed by Ted McCarty himself to give added adjustability and sustain to the first Black Beauty, along with the kidney button Grover Rotomatic tuners that were considered a major upgrade back in the day.

A pair of Gibson’s BurstBucker humbucking pickups—a #1 in the neck for smooth, articulate tones and a #2 in the bridge for more sting and punching power—accurately represent the legendary PAFs of the late ’50s and early ’60s, and are made with unpolished alnico magnets and coils that are wound with unequal turns of 42-gauge enamel-coated wire to induce that single-coil like bite and edge of the originals. To top it all off, routing them through high-quality CTS pots and “bumblebee” tone capacitor keeps your signal sweetly vintage. Just as significant, though, are the details that you don’t see: the 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is built with the long neck tenon that gave added resonance and sustain to the original, its period-correct nylon nut is cut on the PLEK for ultimate accuracy, and beneath the guitar’s gloss Ebony finish lies a body carved from one piece of solid mahogany, a tonewood known for its blend of warmth, richness and clarity.

Produced in extremely limited numbers in 1960, original Black Beauties are nigh on impossible to come by today. With its historically accurate details and appointments, the Gibson Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is the finest replication of the model that has ever been produced. Each example comes with a plush-lined Gibson Custom hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, and full owner’s literature.

Body and FinishCrafted from solid mahogany, the body of the 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is cut to the proportions of the original, with accurate carved “dish” (top arch) and single cutaway for excellent upper-fret access. The body’s top is trimmed in multi-ply white/b/w/b/w binding, and finished in several thin coats of Ebony.Click Here To Learn MoreNeck and HeadstockThe guitars neck and headstock are made in the classic tradition of the original 1960 Les Paul Custom. Carved from a single piece of mahogany, and topped with an ebony fingerboard, the design incorporates Gibson’s lauded 17-degree back-angled headstock, which contributes greatly to the instrument’s resonance and sustain. To denote its “Custom” nature, the headstock of the 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is larger than that of comparable Les Paul Standards, is trimmed with multi-ply binding, and inlaid with a mother-of-pearl “split-diamond” emblem. Click Here To Learn More

Pickups and ElectronicsThe Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom carries a complement of pickups and hardware that accurate reflect the original equipment on the most desirable Les Pauls ever made. A pair of BurstBucker pickups capture that highly sought-after “PAF” style tone, while quality CTS potentiometers with “bumblebee” tone caps translate the signal in pure vintage style. Click Here To Learn MoreHardwareAs befits a Custom Shop Anniversary Les Paul of this caliber, the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Custom is equipped with Gibson’s most accurate, period-correct reproduction hardware, including kidney button Grover Rotomatic tuners, a Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece both made from the correct metals. All are gold plated to reflect the instrument’s “Custom” status. Click Here To Learn More